The State has appointed telecoms consultancy Vilicom to assess the suitability of its property portfolio as potential locations for mobile phone masts.
The Government announced the appointment yesterday and said the firm would advise the Government in its negotiations with mobile phone companies.
The Government will pay Vilicom €55,000 to undertake the initial review of the State's property portfolio, which comprises about 1,800 sites in the Republic.
The five-year contract also offers Vilicom a revenue share agreement on the rental income produced from each State site leased to a mobile firm.
The Government's plan to lease sites to mobile phone companies for masts is part of its programme to raise the value created from its property. Analysts estimate a good mast site can generate €12,000 a year, transforming the State's 1,800 properties into a potentially lucrative rental business for mobile phone sites.
The Garda Síochána's exclusive deal with the mobile firm O2 enabled the force to benefit from a €12 million upgrade to its own communications network. It also pays the Office of Public Works (OPW) about €2 million a year for the use of telecoms mast infrastructure at Garda stations across the State.
The Minister of State with responsibility for the OPW, Mr Tom Parlon, said the possibility of operators sharing masts would be fully explored.
"Any mobile phone operator that is given a licence to install equipment on State property will have to meet various requirements, including full compliance with normal planning regulations and strict adherence to the guidelines on exposure limits to emissions issued by the international commission on non-ionising radiation protection," he said.
